Apparatus for treating sheets of film base



Allg 24, 1965 w. LIMBERGER 3,202,072

APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHEETS oF FILM BASE Filed Feb. 14, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 1 /A/VfA/fof? WALTER LIMBERGER Aug- 24, 1965 w. LIMBERGER3,202,072

APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHEETS OF FILM BASE Filed Feb. 14, 1965 2',Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVENTOP WALTER LIMBERGER United States Patent O FiledFeb. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 258,425 Claims priority, application Germany,Feb. 17, 1962,

L 11 Claims. (ci. 95-89) Y The present invention relates to apparatusfor treating sheets of film base with a flowable substance, for example,for diffusion development using two sheets of film base. In particular,the invention relates to a system in which the sheets of film base aremoistened on one side only.

In a device already proposed the sheets inserted into the device controlthe liquid ow to the coating unit by means of a scanning device. Theobject of the invention is to improve this known device, namely, toprovide a new device with a measured supply of a owable treatmentsubstance, whose effect is improved by the vdevice according to theinvention, whereby on the one hand smaller amounts of treatmentsubstance are sufficient so that the sheets leave the apparatus in a drycondition, and on the other hand the treatment substances can be used incombination with specially designed known film bases, which arepreviously unknown in this form for the treatment of lm base sheets.

According to the present invention the treatment su-bstance is coated ina heated state. In this way the onset of the reaction is intensified andaccelerated. Furthermore, the advantageous drying of the film base isfacilitated i.e. the drying period is shortened. The term heatedtreatment substance relates to a temperature above the surroundingtemperature, in general the normal room temperature, for example up to amaximum of 80 C. In the device according to theA invention the coatingunit is connected to a heating device, which heats the owable treatmentsubstance and/ or the film base sheets during the process. According toone preferred embodiment the heating device is provided on the coatingunit. Consequently it is found that not only the measured amount ofsubstance which is expelled from the coating unit is warmed andmoistened but the film of the film base sheet directed past the coatingunit is warmed simultaneously, so that the reaction period is greatlyaccelerated.

The invention however envisages the use of film base sheets anddeveloping substance, using dissolving means alone for the developingsubstance which when used in the heated state starts a particularlyintensive and rapid reaction. If material is used which contains thedeveloping and fixing substance already bound in the film, one essentialfeature of the invention is that Water be provided vin the storagecontainer as the treatment substance, which in its warm state effectsthe dissolution and/or melting of the reaction means in the film on thesheet for effecting the developing and fixing process. It must beunderstood that two devices according to the invention can be providedone behind the other, by which the one effects the developing processand the other lthe xing process.

According to a preferred embodiment the supply of liquid treatmentsubstance to the coating unit is controlled by means of a scanningdevice itself controlled by the sheets passing through the device, whichsimultaneously switches the heating device on and olf. The scanningdevice can comprise a photoelectric scanner or a mechanical scanner inthe form of a rocking lever in the feed path for the sheet. The lattercan have a linkage system for controlling a closure member or a switch.In a preferred embodiment the latter is connected into a circuit, whichfor example actuates an electromagnet for controlling the liquid supplyand heating resistances of the heating device. In this way the meansactuating the heating device is held ready by a relay in theabovementioned circuit.

According to a further embodiment, motor driven drive rollers can beprovided in the device controlled for feeding the sheet to the coatingunit in dependence upon the supplying of the sheet, whereby the motor isstarted by the scanning device through a slow-releasing relay. Therelease time is adjusted so that the motor remains switched on until thesheet has completely passed through the device.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood preferredembodiments thereof are described below in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side View of one device according to the invention insection;

FIG. la is a partial side view of a further embodiment of the inventionin section;

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit plan for the heating device;

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit plan for a further form of heating deviceaccording to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a circuit plan for a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view of the heating device according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a section along the line VI-VI through FIG. 1.

In order to simplify the description, only the important and necessaryparts of the invention are shown in the drawings.

According to FIGURE 1, a housing 1 is provided, having an inlet slitarrangement in one wall thereof with two inlet slits 2, 3 and one outletslit 4 in the opposite wall of the housing, these slits forming thebeginning and end of a feed path for the film base. A coating unit 5 "isprovided in the feed path in the form of a hollow member extending intoa point at the front and back and elongated in longitudinalcross-section, and fed with coating substance from a storage container 7via a conduit 6. 'Ihis storage container 7, which is normallyhermetically sealed, has an opening 8 provided in its upper partcontrolled by a closure member 9 which is actuable by means of a leversystem 10, 11, and a mechanical stop 12 provided in the feed path. Thestop 12 is pivotably mounted at 13 and the lever part 10 is pivotablymounted at 14 on a wall of the housing parallel to the plane of view ofFIG. 1. The lever part 10 is formed as a two-armed lever, the arm awayfrom lever part 11 being tensioned in the direction shown by arrow 15 bya spring 16, so as to close opening 8. The spring 16 is fastened at itslower end to a pin 55 which is provided in one wall of the housing. Theopening 8 is opened against the action of the spring 16, by deiiectingthe mechanical stop 12 with the edge of a sheet inserted through theslit 2 or 3. The function of this arrangement is described in mycepending application Serial No. 85,118, filed January 26, 1961, nowPatent No. 3,143,056.

The feed path is provided with guide elements 17, 18, 19 defining slits2, 3 and extending just short of the coating unit 5 and having slotsprovided in their ends nearest this unit, Within which the mechanicalstop 12 is movable, so that it can be pulled into one position extendinginto the feed path, by means of the spring 16, and can be pivoted intoanother position by the front edge of a filrn base sheet, whereby thefeed path becomes free from obstruction. Furthermore a pair of driverollers 2f), 21 are provided in the cross-section of the feed pathdefined by guide elements 17, 18, '19.' At this position the guideele-ments have openings provided therein having a width at leastsufficient to receive therein circumferenv tial flanges provided on therollers, which run adjacent one another at least with their flanges incontact within the opening substantially in the plane of the guideelement 18. For example, only the roller 20 is driven by a belt-drive22, whereas the roller 21 is driven by contact with roller 20, -directlyor via the film base sheet.

The coating unit proper is enclosed within a heating device 23.Electrical resistance heating elements are provided for example, in thisheating device. It consists, for example, of a ceramic body, which onthe one hand has channels therein for receiving the resistance heatingelements and on the other hand has channels passing f through the wallof the coating unit to form coating nozzles 25. The diameter of thepassages 25' depends upon the length and the structural properties ofthe ceramic material and is so chosen that the liquid is held thereinsolely by `surface tension in the absence of any feeding pressure. Thecoating unit can have several yopenings or rows of openings `displacedrelative to one another, the casing of the heating device 23 beingpreferably provided yon each side with at least one transverse groove 24at which several nozzles 25 terminate. This outwardly opening transversegroove has the `object of Yensuring an equal distribution of the coatingsubstance over the entire width -of the film base sheets.

The heating device 23 is shown formed longitudinally elongated andhaving pointed ends 26, 27 in the longitudinal axis of the guide path,towards which the Afilm base sheets are either passed away from ortowards one another. The end 26 facing the inlet slit arrangement 2, 3stops preferably adjacent the middle guide element 18. The coating unit5 is encircled partially by guide surfaces 28, 29. These guide surfacesare provided spaced therefrom by .a distance greater than'the thickness`of a .film base sheet. The guide surfacesy 28, 29 are provided at theirends with cutouts facing the inlet slit arrangement, through which,parts of transport rollers 3f), 31 project. The transport roller 3f) isfor example driven by a belt-drive `32. j A corresponding drive can beprovided for the roller 31. The rollers 3,0, 31 `are so arranged thattheir circumferential flanges or also their cover surfaces, -if theyareV formed without flanges, are spaced from the cover surfaces oftheheating device 23, but lying very close thereto and moreover preferablyin a regi-on -in which the row of openings 25 open out, for example,into the groove k24. Consequently it is en- 4 chanical stopV 12 andmoreover by means of the lever part 1t). A movable switch contact 4d issupported on the lever part 1f), whereas the fixed switch contact 41 canbe so adjusted by an adjusting screw 42., .and even a small movementeffected substantially by the defiection of the closure member 9 and thetransfer mechanism is sufiicient toclose the switch 39. Thisserves atleast for regulating the heating element in the heating device 23. Theseelements are shown for example, by numeral 43 in FIGS. 24. Switch 39 isalso shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and it can be seen that it connects in acircuit 65 having resistances 43, whichY circuit is connected intocircuit 44.

According to FIG. 3 the coil of a solenoid 45 is switched into a circuit65. With this construction the switch 39, namely the movable switchcontact 4f) is either provided directly in the feed path in place of themechanical stop 12, so that direct actuation -of the switch is effected,or on the lever arm of lthe mechanical stop 12. The solenoid serves toactuate the closure member 9 in a manner not shown `or described, butknown to the experts. With this form -of `construction the lever system1th, 11, 16 can be dispensed with and the switch 39 is coupled directlywith the stop lever 13 as shown in dotted lines at 39.

In FlG. 4 a switch 46 corresponding to the switch 39 is provided whichcan be actuated either in the same way asrswitch 39 as described above,or accordingl to a modification, by `a photoelectric scanner, which isshown schematically at 47 and a light source 48 as well as a photo-cell49, an amplifier unit (not shown) and a relay, which is actuated by the:switch 46. In the practical embodiment, the elements 48, 49 arearranged for example at the position of the mechanical stop 12 of FIG.1, above and below the guide path, whereby they light radiation passesthrough the slit provided in the guide surfaces 17, 18, 19. It can beseen that this arrangement is constructed as a closed circuitconnection, so that the switch 46 is actuated upon obstruction suredthat the film base sheetsv are passed directly towards example, it maybe coupled directly to the output shaft of the motor drive unit 35 bywhich the belt-drives 32, 23 are driven. The `film base sheets providedwith the treatment liquid are squeezed together between the rollers 33,34. These are then passed out through the outlet slit 4, which isdefined by the gnide'surfaces 36, 37,

whichextend just up to the rollers 33, 34Y and which, as Y shown byguide surface 37, ensures their release from the rollers. in thatflange-like extensions engage in circumferential grooves provided inrollers 33, 34.

A removable Areceptacle 38 is provided on the base of the housing 1 toreceive any fluid dropped off. In

the housing moreover a switch 39 is provided, which .can be closed independence upon a deflection of the methe light radiation.

According to FIG. 4, the unit 47 Vof the photo-electric scanner isconnectedr to va current source 50 in a manner similar to the othercircuit parts. The apparatus is brought into readiness by a switch 51.By closing the switch 46 the magnet 45 actuates a closure membercorresponding to member 9 as Well las a relay 52 for switching on theheating resistance 43 and a slow-releasing relay 53 for switching onmotor 54 of the motor drive unit 35 shown in FIG. 1. The circuit formotor 54 and the heating resistance 43 includes a fuse shownparticularly at 55. When the rear edges of the sheets have passedthrough the photo-electric scanning unit 47 the switch 46 opens.Consequently the closure member 9 is brought into its closed position.The part of the sheet still to pass, pulls sufiicient liquid thereafterdue to the adhesion effect and, in particular, takes up the .liquid fromthe grooves 24. The switching-off of the heating element 43 canrbeeffected directly, because the heat residue is still sufficient for useduring the rest of the process to be carried out on the rest of thesheet. The

Lrelease time of the relay 53 is so adjusted that the motor 54 runssufficiently long for the end of the sheet to be rtransported throughthe pressure and transport rollers 33 and 34. Y

According to the last described embodiment the rollers 21, 20 areconstructed as free-running rollers with an automatic switch for themotor 54. In this caseV a similar passage through the driven rollers3f), 31 is ensured. If the motor drive unit 35 is connected separatelyin a manner not described but easily, understood by the expert, then thedriven rollers 21, 20 ensure a definite passage velocityrdirectlyaccording to the insertion.

In FIG. la si-milar parts to those in FG. l are as shown with the samereference numerals. A modified arrangement is provided for the coatingunit and the heating device which =is designated by 5 and 23. Thecoating unit and heating device are preferably constructed for thepurpose of vapourizing the liquid and preferably inclined to thehorizontal. The heating device 23 is strengthened for a greater loadingthan that in FIG. 1, in order to facilitate the vapourization of theliquid fed thereto. With this construction the supply conduit 6 opensout into the lower half of the coating unit 5 whereby the heating whichis effected by the heating resistance rods S7 vapourizes the liquid inthe openings 25.

Owing to the construction of the heating device 25 with a longitudinallyelongated ceramic body, which encircles the correspondinglylongitudinally elongated coating unit 5 along which the coated sheetspass, it is found therefore that after feeding the liquid either in theform of vapour or in its liquid state, the sheet becomes heated duringthe reaction so that the reaction is improved. It is found that thisadvantage also holds for the embodiment of FIG. 1 so that the treatingsubstance becomes heated as well as the sheet during and after feedingthe treatment substance, which is the feature of the invention.

With the inclined mounting of the coating unit 5' and the heating device23' according to FIG. la, the lower guide element 28 is lengthened inorder to feed, jointly with element 29, a pair of converging sheetstoward the squeezing and transport rollers 33, 34.

All parts are mounted parallel to the walls of the housing orintermediate walls and extend in the plane of the drawing of FIG. 1.

This can be seen from FIG. 6 in which like parts to those in FIG. l aregiven the same reference numerals in order to supply the description. Itcan be seen that the storage container 7 is supported on the housingside walls 58, 59. Moreover the heating device 23 and guide elements 28,29 are mounted stationary on the side walls. The rollers 33, 34 aremounted rotatable in the same manner as the rollers according to FIG. 1.Their shafts 60,'61 pass through the intermediate wall S9 and carry thedrive pulleys 62, 63 thereon. The roller 33 is directly connected to themotor drive unit 35 for drive thereby. Numeral 64 shows an electriccircuit and switching unit which among other things is connected bycable 65 to the heating unit 63. It can be seen that two conduits 6, 6'are provided between the container '7 and the heating device 23.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for the treatment of sheets provided with photographiclayers, comprising a housing having an inlet for a sheet to be treatedand an outlet for said sheet remote from said inlet, guide means in saidhousing forming a channel for the passage of said sheet from said inletto said outlet, said guide means including a hollow body with aperforated surface positioned for contact with the photographic layer ofa sheet passing therealong, a container for treatment fluid connected tothe interior of said body for the discharge of said fluid through theperforations of said body onto said layer, heating means for said fluidand said sheet in said body, transport means `in said housing foradvancing said sheet through said channel past said body, and actuatingmeans for concurrently operating said heating means and said transportmeans.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said actuating meanscomprises sheet-controlled sensing means in said channel between saidinlet and said body.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim Z, further comprising fluid-controlmeans at said container coupled with said sensing means for supplyingfresh duid to said body upon operation of said heating and transportmeans.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim Z wherein said sensing meanscomprises a mechanical feeler responsive to the leading edge of anoncoming sheet.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said sensing meanscomprises photoelectric detector means.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said actuating meansfurther comprises first relay means responsive to said detector meansfor energizing said heating means throughout the movement of said sheetpast a control point, and slow-releasing second relay means responsiveto said detector means for operating said transport means concurrentlywith said heating means and for a predetermined period thereafter.

7. An apparatus as dened in claim i wherein said channel extendsgenerally horizontally, the interior of said body being a chamber ofelongated vertical crosssection in a plane parallel to the direction ofsheet travel.

ti. An apparatus as defined `in claim '7, for use with an aqueous liquidfor the treating fluid, wherein said body is tilted upwardly in thedirection of the oncoming sheet, the end of said chamber proximal tosaid inlet being elevated above the opposite end, thereby facilitatingvaporization of said liquid in the region of first contact between saidsheet and said perforated surface.

9. An apparatus for the treatment of photographic sheets, comprising ahousing having two adjacent inlets for a negative and a positive sheetto be treated and an outlet for said sheets remote from said inlets,guide means in said housing forming a pair of juxtaposed channels forthe passage of said sheets from said inlets to said outlet, said guidemeans including a hollow body between said channels with two perforatedsurfaces positioned for contact with confronting sides of two sheetssimultaneously passing therealong in said channels, a container fortreatment uid connected to the interior of said body for the dischargeof said fluid through the perforations of said body onto said sheets,heating means for said iiuid and said sheets in said body, transportmeans in said housing for advancing said sheets through said channelspast said body, actuating means for concurrently operating said heatingmeans and said transport means, and squeezing means beyond said body forpressing the two treated Sheets together on their way to said outlet.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said channels extendgenerally horizontally above and below said body, the interior of saidbody being a chamber of elongated Vertical cross-section in a planeparallel to the direction of sheet travel, both said chamber and theexterior of said body having wedge-shaped extremities facing said inletand said outlet.

1l. An apparatus as defined in claim liti, for use with an aqueousliquid for the treating iiuid, wherein said body is tilted upwardly inthe direction of the oncoming sheets, the end of said chamber proximalto said inlet being elevated above the opposite end, therebyfacilitating vaporization of said liquid in the region of first Contactbetween said sheets and the upper and lower surfaces of said body.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,981,170 4/51Brault 95-89 NORTON ANSI-IER, Primary Examiner.

1. AN APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SHEETS PROVIDED WITH PHOTOGRAPHICLAYERS, COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AN INLET FOR A SHEET TO BE TREATEDAND AN OUTLET FOR SAID SHEET REMOTE FROM SAID INLET, GUIDE MEANS IN SAIDHOUSING FORMING A CHANNEL FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID SHEET FROM SAID INLETTO SAID OUTLET, SAID GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING A HOLLOW BODY WITH APERFORATED SURFACE POSITIONED FOR CONTACT WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHIC LAYER OFA SHEET PASSING THEREALONG, A CONTAINER FOR TREATMENT FLUID CONNECTED TOTHE INTERIOR OF SAID BODY FOR THE DISCHARGE OF SAID FLUID THROUGH THEPERFORATIONS OF SAID BODY ONTO SAID LAYER, HEATIN MEANS FOR SAID FLUIDAND SAID SHEET IN SAID BODY, TRANSPORT MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FORADVANCING SAID SHEET THROUGH SAID CHANNEL PAST SAID BODY, AND ACTUATINGMEANS FOR CONCURRENTLY OPERATING SAID HEATING MEANS AND SAID TRANSPORTMEANS.